A Whisper in the Night
by MeeLee
Summary: [COMPLETE] [HoroRen yaoi one-shot] After hearing Ren mumble it in his sleep, Horohoro goes in search of the meaning of "wo ai ni." What happens when he finds out? R&R.
1. Question

**A/N: **Just a quick HoroRen one-shot I wrote a few weeks ago while struggling with writer's block for my other HoroRen fic, "Rescue Me." Even though the story is short, I divided it into two chapters for a sort of cause-and-effect structure.

If you don't know the meaning of "wo ai ni," consult your nearest Chinese-speaking friend.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shaman King. (If I did, then Horohoro and Ren would be screwing each other's brains out.)

A Whisper in the Night

**BEGIN**

He usually did not stay up so late, but he had wanted to see the stars. Back in Hokkaido, though the skies were clear, he was always too busy to really look up and watch the night sky shift and change with the passing hours. It was fascinating, really, Usui Horokeu thought to himself as he walked slowly back toward the house, hands in his pockets. Now he finally thought he understood the reason why Ren loved the stars so much.

Immediately his thoughts shifted to the Chinese boy, his half-friend and half-rival for the past few years. Horohoro still did not know how exactly he felt about Tao Ren. Ren on the outside was everything Horohoro despised: arrogant, cold and selfish with a sickeningly smartass attitude. Ren on the inside, however, was a completely different story. Horohoro had never seen him with his guard completely down though he had gotten close a couple of times, and from these fleeting glimpses he had seen a warmth pulsing beneath that cold surface, a soul who laughed and cried and hurt and was _human._ Frankly he was fascinated by the double-facedness of Tao Ren, how he could smirk and turn his nose up haughtily at someone while his golden eyes betrayed his fear. More than anything Horohoro longed to see Ren as he really was, without his endlessly-changing masks.

Horohoro came to a sudden stop in front of an open door, almost without even realizing it. For a moment he was confused because his feet wanted to keep walking; his body cried out for the warm respite of his bed but his mind commanded him to stay still, whispering to him that he had come to a place that was important to him. Then Horohoro glanced in the doorway and realized that he was standing outside Ren's room.

His first impulse was to turn and get a safe distance away before Ren could discover him and beat the living shit out of him for peeking, but upon realizing that the oddly-shaped lump beneath the covers of the bed was Tao Ren himself, fast asleep, Horohoro was struck by a sudden curiosity. Stepping carefully across the threshold, trying not to make any sound as he crossed the floor, the young Ainu came to stand beside the sleeping Chinese's bed.

Immediately he was surprised at the serenity on Ren's face, something he was not used to seeing on the other boy's normally cold features. Ren's head was sunken comfortably on the pillow, and the small smile playing on his lips suggested that he was having a pleasant dream. Horohoro wondered suddenly if Ren ever dreamt about him.

He had dreamt about Ren before, and Horohoro smiled as he remembered. It always started on a beach of some sort, both of them standing together on the sand, far enough to be separate yet close enough to be friendly. Sometimes he made the first move, other times Ren did, but somehow they both ended up with one leaning against the other, watching a sunrise turn the waves bright gold. Then suddenly they would be on a boat, leaning on the deck railing and laughing at the waves that broke along the bow and washed in white foam all around them. Then they would be docked in a harbor in Hokkaido, except that all the houses were decorated with ribbons and there was music and dancing to announce their arrival. Then together Horohoro and Ren would walk into his native village, the Ainu laughing and the Chinese boy's golden eyes shining, clasping hands because they were…in love…

Ren shifted suddenly, abruptly bringing Horohoro out of his thoughts. He turned away from Horohoro, snuggling deeper into the sheets. Afraid that the other boy would awaken, Horohoro turned quickly and crossed the room toward the door.

"Horo-kun…"

He stopped dead in his tracks at Ren's voice. He was in for it now. Turning, he took a deep breath. "Listen, Ren, I didn't mean to, okay? I was just…" His voice trailed off when he realized that Ren was still fast asleep, which meant that he had mumbled Horohoro's name in his dreams.

In his dreams.

"Horo-kun…" Ren called again, and before he was even fully aware of it, the Ainu was back by the bedside, bent over the sleeping boy.

"I'm here, Ren."

A silence settled for so long that Horohoro was sure Ren had fallen into an even deeper sleep when suddenly the Chinese boy shifted again, sighing softly and whispering, "Horo-kun…wo ai ni…"

Horohoro blinked. _Wo ai ni?_ What the hell did _that_ mean? He turned to ask Ren but was interrupted by a light snore. Choking back his laughter, he turned and left the room, shaking his head. _Wo ai ni…_

When the morning dawned the next day, Usui Horokeu was the first one to arrive at Ren's door. Just as he had expected, Tao Ren, who was always an early riser, was training. The only acknowledgement the Chinese boy gave of the Ainu's entrance was a careless swipe of his kwan dao in Horohoro's direction, narrowly missing his nose. Without a word Ren turned back to his routine.

For a moment Horohoro only stood there just across the threshold, watching quietly as Ren melted from one move into the next with the agility of a dancer. The kwan dao made twisting, elegant arcs and curves in the air, its normally excruciating weight seeming but a light feather in the Chinese shaman's experienced hands. At long last, however, seeing that Ren was slowing down in his routine and preparing to wrap things up, Horohoro stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Ren, can I ask you something?"

"No." The answer was curt. "Quit watching me."

"It's important."

"I said no."

Horohoro smirked and dropped the bomb. "I'll throw out all the milk in the house."

A pause. Then: "Make it quick."

"All right." Horohoro straightened. "What does 'wo ai ni' mean?"

_Crash._ The Ainu jumped as the kwan dao clattered to the floor. He looked up to see Ren glaring at him with a fury in his golden eyes he had never seen before. "What the hell are you trying to pull?" the Chinese boy hissed.

Horohoro blinked. "Nothing," he said. "I just…wanted to know."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm an idiot, don't you?" he said. "You just love to tease me all the time, don't you, Ainu-baka?"

Horohoro felt his anger rise. "What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped. "It was just a stupid question!"

"Stupid is right!" Ren yelled back. "Now get out of my room!"

The Ainu's eyes hardened into two points of glinting obsidian as he drew up to his full height, entire body trembling with rage. When he spoke, his voice was steady and colder than the ice he manipulated so well. "Fine. Go to hell." He turned and walked out.

Ren glared as he left, hands clenched into shaking fists. But when the Ainu disappeared into the hallway, he sank down onto the bed and did something he had never done before: he covered his face with his hands and blinked back his tears. If only Horohoro knew…

Usui Horokeu was so absorbed in his rage that he nearly knocked over the person he bumped into as he made his way furiously down the hall. Basic reflex acted and he turned, steadying his voice a bit. "Sorry," he said, and then blinked when he realized that the person he had collided with was not a person at all.

The kyonshi Lee Bailong straightened slightly and bowed. "Just be more careful next time," he said, and turned to leave but the Ainu's voice stopped him.

"Wait." The kyonshi turned, and Horohoro had to take a deep breath before speaking. "Wo ai ni—"

Bailong blinked. "Excuse me?"

Horohoro paused, confused, before trying again. "Wo ai ni—"

Bailong cleared his throat. "I'm sorry but I have to go," he said, and before Horohoro could protest the kyonshi turned and hurried down the hallway. The Ainu blinked at the sudden departure. It was just an innocent question. What was so wrong with the phrase "wo ai ni" anyway? Perhaps it was an insult of some sort…that was just like Ren to insult Horohoro even in his sleep.

Grumbling to himself, Horohoro went into his room and slammed the door.

It was late afternoon by the time Horohoro emerged again, slightly calmer though still irritated. He had attempted to calm himself down with everything from training to reading to showering, but the bottom line was that he was still furious with Ren. Ren with his insensitivity and hardheadedness and the goddamn "wo ai ni" that he now suspected meant something along the lines of "you asshole."

Walking slowly down the hallway toward the stairs, Horohoro could clearly hear what sounded like a party going on downstairs, and indeed it probably was with Yoh, Manta, Anna, Tamao, Ryu and Chocolove all gathered under the same roof. He caught Ren's voice once within the midst of the conversation, apparently threatening Chocolove with a slow and painful death, and immediately turned away from the stairs with disgust. The last person he wanted to see was that arrogant prick.

He was about to head back to his room when he stopped, noticing a shadow playing along the floor outside Ren's room; someone was inside. It could not be Ren himself because the Chinese shaman was downstairs; curious, Horohoro approached the open door and peeked inside. He blinked when he made out the tall, slim figure of Tao Jun in the rapidly fading sunlight, qipao neat and prim as usual, rustling softly as she went from one end of the room to the other, apparently straightening things out. For a moment Horohoro only watched her quietly, but she soon sensed his presence and turned to face him.

"May I help you, Horohoro?" she asked.

"Uh…" He considered turning around and leaving before he could do any damage, but then realizing that Tao Jun was the least likely to lash out at him, he decided that it was worth a try. "I have a question."

"About what?"

"Ren."

Jun nodded slowly. "Of course."

Horohoro paused for a moment to straighten out his thoughts. He definitely wasn't going to begin like he had with Bailong—he refused to make the same mistake twice. Therefore, he decided to start on safer ground first. "I heard Ren say something in his sleep last night." Jun said nothing but nodded, indicating for him to continue and so he did so. "He called my name…and then he…said…" Horohoro took a deep breath. "He said, 'Wo ai ni.'"

He looked up, but the expression on Jun's face had not changed and so, speaking fast so that he could get it over with as quickly as possible, he said, "I asked Ren but he got mad at me. I asked Bailong but he ran away. So now I'm asking you. Just what the hell does 'wo ai ni' mean?"

For a long time Jun's face stayed as cold and emotionless as stone, and Horohoro suddenly became afraid that he had angered her with his question. Damn you, Ren, he thought to himself. Damn you and your stupid 'wo ai ni.' I should've known it was an insult.

But then Jun straightened. And before Horohoro could open his mouth to apologize, she smiled and answered him.


	2. Answer

**A/N: **All I can say is WOW. I never expected to get so many reviews, and for the first chapter alone! You guys really made my day, especially those of you who left especially insightful comments. Thank you a million times over!

For those of you who asked…yes, "wo ai ni" means "I love you." I actually shouldn't have used that expression because it's not used very often in normal conversation—I suppose it's because Asians are perhaps a little less open about their feelings than Westerners. At least, that's my experience with my own family.

Oh yeah, to the anonymous reader who pointed out that "ai" means the same thing in both languages: you made a very good point, but remember that, while Horohoro may know the meaning of "ai" in Japanese, he would not know it in Chinese. Therefore, your projection does not really apply, but thanks for reviewing anyway!

I was actually contemplating some lemon-ish material to end this chapter, but decided to save that sort of writing for my vampire fic. Therefore I substituted a lighter, more kid-friendly (though not entirely if you read between the lines) ending.

Please check out "Rescue Me" if you have time.

Okay, thanks for reading! Enjoy! I'll see yall at the debut of my next one-shot, "Behind Closed Doors." _-MeeLee_

* * *

Tao Ren had retired from the party downstairs claiming to have gotten annoyed with everyone else's insignificant conversation, but the truth was that he was dead tired and could not wait to get to bed as he trudged slowly up the stairs and into his room. He was usually quite energetic but now he had been strangely exhausted all day. He attributed at least part of the sudden fatigue to the argument he had had with Horohoro earlier that morning; it had put a lot of strain on his nerves. Damn that stupid, insensitive, arrogant…and beautiful…Ainu.

He could hardly stay awake as he rinsed himself quickly in the shower, changed into more comfortable clothes, and got into bed. For a moment he lay where he was, golden eyes half open, seeing nothing as he thought briefly about Horohoro. _Kiisama_, he thought to himself. Teasing him so openly. He thought he was so clever, bringing up a "wo ai ni" like that. Well, Ren would show him. He would give that Ainu such an ass-kicking he wouldn't be able to sit for a week. He didn't need that idiot.

Shaking his head at the huge lie he had just told himself, Ren closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to settle in, taking him into a comfortable embrace. He felt a sudden warmth as he surrendered to it, a pleasing heat slowly surrounding his body so that he relaxed completely and began to drift away.

It was only when he felt an arm wrap slowly around his waist that he realized the warmth he was feeling was definitely _not_ from the darkness.

Reflex set in, and Ren reacted the same way he always did to what he perceived to be a threat: with violence. Twisting agilely around, he brought his right arm down, fist cocked to get rid of the intruder.

Fortunately for Horohoro his reflexes were just as fast as the other shaman's. Quickly he lifted his arm off of Ren's waist and caught the Chinese boy's wrist, halting his attack. Shifting his weight then, he forced Ren's arm back down onto the bed while at the same time sliding his own body smoothly on top of the other's, using the pressure of his right shoulder to keep Ren's other arm from coming into use.

In such an awkward position Ren immediately began to panic; losing control so easily made him frantic. He could hardly see in the darkness of his room but he knew it was Horohoro because of the other shaman's aura; a sixth sense always told him whenever Horohoro was close. At the moment, though, the ice shaman was far _too_ close and so Ren kicked out in an attempt to regain control; Horohoro reacted, locking Ren's legs with his own and consequently pressing their bodies even closer together so that Ren could feel…his…

"_Agh!_" Ren cried, blushing a deep red and struggling furiously. "You damn rapist! Get off me, you—" His next words were lost when Horohoro covered his mouth with his own. For a brief instant Ren was alarmed but then almost immediately he relaxed, closing his eyes and allowing the Ainu to deepen the kiss. When they finally pulled apart, both of them were out of breath.

He could almost see Horohoro smiling in the darkness. "You damn coward," he whispered good-naturedly, tracing a finger impulsively down Ren's chest. "If you had just _told_ me what 'wo ai ni' meant, I wouldn't have had to get mad at you and then go through all that trouble to find out."

Ren suddenly became indignant. "I never said that to you," he protested.

The Ainu smiled again. "Not to my face, no," he said, "Though I would've liked it better if you had done that instead of making me eavesdrop on your dreams."

"My…dreams?" Ren flushed suddenly with embarrassment. "I did _not…_"

But Horohoro gently touched a finger to Ren's lips, quieting him. "Now I've got something to tell you," he said, and bending down so that his lips were right next to Ren's ear, he whispered to him, "Aishiteru, Tao Ren." In the next instant Ren seized him by the shoulders and kissed him passionately, and as Horohoro wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and brought him closer, he smiled inwardly to himself. So stargazing did have its benefits.

A few minutes later, downstairs, Yoh and his friends could not explain what was happening. The ceiling light in the dining room kept shaking on its chain, and all the framed pictures hanging on the wall suddenly came unglued, unable to stay intact for more than a few seconds before crashing to the floor. An earthquake seemed to be shaking the house.

Kyouyama Anna stood in the middle of the living room, ordering everyone around as they scrambled after the falling frames and the tilting decorations that were sliding off the tables and desks with frightening speed. For a moment she was just as puzzled as the rest of them as to where this strange phenomenon had come from, but when she called for Usui Horokeu and Tao Ren to come lend a hand and they did not respond, she immediately understood. Without delaying another minute she promptly told everyone to pack up and leave the house, including Yoh and herself. They protested but she only hastened their departure, closing the door and locking it firmly behind her. Once outside, Yoh turned to her in confusion.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why are we leaving?"

"Because I say so."

He blinked. "What about Ren and Horohoro? They're still in there."

"Yes, I know," Anna said. "But believe me…they have better things to do right now than come with us."

"What do you mean?"

Anna did not answer, and a whining Yoh followed her as she walked quickly away.

**FINI**


End file.
